Carbid feed for acetylene generators.



J. 0. BEWAN.

CARBID FEED FOR ACETYLENE GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I1. I91). 1 ,27 1,420. Patented July 2, 1918.

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J. 0. BEWAN.

CARB ID FEED FOR ACETYLENE GENERATORS. APPLICATION FILED NOV 12. I912.

1 ,27 1,420. Patented July 2, 1918.

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JAMES O. BEWAN, 0F ONLEY, VIRGINIA.

GARBID-FEED FOR ACETYLENE-GENERATORS.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1918.

Application filed November 17, 1917. Serial No. 202,493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES O. BEWAN, a citizen of the United States,residin at Onley, in the county of Accomac and tate of Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbid-Feeds forAcetylene-Generators, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to an acetylene gas generator and especially tothat portion of the apparatus relating to the method of feeding thecarbid.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafterdescribed, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section view of a supplemental carbidholder.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

IJFig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of %n the drawings 1 designatesthe outer casing or can. This is designed to be partially sunk in theground, embedded n cement, or otherwise protected against freezing whereweather conditions make this necessary.

It is provided with a removable cover 2. Vithin the casing andconcentric therewith is a cylinder 3, which terminates short of the topand bottom of the casing.

An annular plate 5 connects the casing, the bottom edge of the cylinder3 and a second interior cylinder 4, and is supported by braces 6. Thelower edge of the cylinder 4 is flush with that of the cylinder 3, butit terminates far short of the top of cylinder 3.

The plate 5 forms a bottom for a compartment 7, the walls of which areformed by the casing 1 and cylinder 3 and the lower portion of thiscompartment is filled with water and forms the gas receiving chamber.

The space between the cylinders 3 and 4 forms a water-seal compartment8.

Within the cylinder 3 partially inclosing the cylinder 4 and dippinginto the water seal is a hell 9. This has an air vent valve 10 andhandles 11. In the upper portion of the compartment 7 is an annularfilter 12 having perforated bottom and provided with handholds 13. Fromone side of the filtering device leads a service supply p pe 14.

A pump 15 is provided with outlet pipe 16 for pumping out the water fromthe easing 1.

A gear wheel, which may be segmental to allow for rocking movement only,17 is mounted in the lower portion of the casing and carries agitatorblades 18. It is operated through a pinion 19, shaft 20, inclosed in ipe21, and hinged handle 22.

ms generated in the casing rises through pipes 23, on which invertedbranches 24 are mounted and escapes through suitable slots in thebranches into the water in compartment 7.

The above in brief is an explanation of the generator with which mycarbid feed is used. These various features can be modified without inany way changing the essential features of the invention.

Openings 25 are provided in the wall 3 so that the water will stand atthe same level in the sealing compartment as in compartment 7 Rollers 26carried by the bell travel on the wall of the cylinder 3 and serve toguide it.

A tube 27 carries a float 28 and signal or index device 29. When thesignal 29 projects from the upper end of the tube 27 sufficient waterhas been supplied to the generator.

Lugs 30 carried by the cylinder 4 support within said cylinder a carbidhopper 31 having an inverted conical bottom centrally open. Arrangedcentrally in the hopper is a downwardly and upwardly open cylinder 32.Tubes 33 extend vertically through the hopper on opposite sides of thecylinder 32. These tubes are connected with the exterior hopper walls bybraces 34. They are also provided with inclined collars 35. The cylinder32 carries exterior inclined flanges 36. slotted to fit over the tubes33, and resting on said collars, there being upper and lower collars andflanges.

Bars 37 having rack portions 38 work through the tubes. A housing in theform of a cone 39 is carried by the lower end portions of the tubes, andwithin and supported from the cone are gears 40, meshing with the racksbars, respectively. Extending upwardly from the cone is a sleeve 41 andworking in the sleeve is a valve stem 42 the lower portion of which isin the form of a double rack bar, working between and meshing with thegears 40. A cylindrical valve 43 is supported by the stem 42 and has alower bell-shaped portion, preferably of rubber which normally rests onand closes the discharge opening of the hopper 31. Suitable guide pins43 are carried by the cylinder 32 to guide valve 13.

It will be obvious from the above that if the pressure decreases thebell will descend and strike the bars 37 and the weight of the bell willmove said barsdownwardly rotating gears 40 and moving the valve stem 42upwardly. This will lift the valve and allow an additional supply ofcarbid to drop into the generator.

On rise of the bell the weight of the valve 43 will force the stem 42downwardly, there by lifting the bars 37, and also closing the hopperbottom discharge opening.

After the supply of carbid in the hopper 31 is exhausted the lights willgradually dim, and if no new supply is provided they will finally goout. As this would in most cases occur at night I provided a suppleniental hopper which is automatically brought into operation andprovides a suiticient supply to last until opportunity has been given tofill the main hopper 31 by daylight.

This consists of an inverted cone to placed in the upper portion of thecylinder 32 and also having a central discharge opening. It has a valvei6 carrying a depending tube 47. The valve is protected from cloggingwith carbid by a housing in the form of a cone 48 supported within thehopper 45 by braces 50, and this cone carries a guide rod 49 for thevalve 46, said rod working in the tube 47.

It will be obvious that under ordinary circuinstances the valve 46 willremain closed but if the bell drops sulliciently to lift the valve 43high enou h to contact with the tube 17, which it wil do only when thesupply of carbid in the hopper 31 is practically exhausted, valve 46will lift and carbid will be fed from the auxiliary hopper &5 until thatsupply has been exhausted.

The operation of valve 46 will be preceded by a. temporary dimming ofthe lights thereby giving warning that the supply of carbid in the mainhopper is exhausted.

What I claim is l. The combination with a carbid hopper having an innercylinder stopping short of the hopper bottom, said hopper having acentral bottom opening, of a valve working in said cylinder and adaptedto close said opening, a bell working over the hopper, gears arrangedbeneath the hopper, a valve stem having a rack portion working betweensaid gears, and rack bars in engagement with the gears, and in positionto be engaged by and actuated by the descent of the bell.

In a carbid feed for acetylene generators, a bell, a hopper partiallyinclosed by the bell, a cylinder arranged centrally in the hopper, thehopper opening below said cylinder, tubes passing through the hopper onopposite sides of the cylinder, rack bars in the tubes, a cone carriedby said tubes and below the hopper, gears in mesh with said bars,respectively and housed in said cone, a valve working in the cylinderand normally closing the hopper bottom, and a valve stem having a doublerack portion, said stem working between and being in mesh with saidgears.

3. In a carbid feed, a main hopper, a ver tically movable valvecontrolling discharge of carbid therefrom, a rack valve stem, gearsengaging said stem, rack bars in mesh with said gears and adapted to beengaged by a. descending bell, a supplemental hopper, and a valvecontrolling discharge of carbid from the supplemental hopper, said valvebeing actuated by rise of the first mentioned valve beyond apredetermined height.

4. In a device of the kind described, a bell, a main hopper partiallyinclosed by the bell, a supplemental hopper arranged within the mainhopper, a valve for each hopper, a rack and gear device actuated by thebell for lifting the valve of the main hopper, and a depending stemcarried by the valve of the supplemental hopper and adapted to beengaged by the valve of the main hopper when said valve has lifted to apredetermined height, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES O. BEWVAN.

Capien of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ,D. O.

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